Appear

Gu Youan and Xiao Junqi's engagement is tentatively scheduled for the eighth day of the first lunar month next year. When the news of the wedding reached Dayong, Gu Youan met Xie Daoqing.

As the first tender bud of spring sprouted, Xie Daoqing appeared before her eyes.

With sunken eyes, a weary body, and looking travel-worn, Xie Daoqing pushed open the door and entered. Gu Youan was lying back in a chair.

"You still came?" Gu Youan slightly raised her eyes, her gaze filled with a fierce aura.

“You killed all twelve envoys of the Emperor’s ship and the members of the academy!” she said calmly.

“Yes, I was afraid you would be in danger, so I went to the Emperor’s Ship. They wanted to kill me, so I had no choice but to kill them. You’an, it was the Emperor’s Ship that tricked you and separated us.”

"Enough, Xie Daoqing! You're still deceiving me! You killed the person I respected most—my fellow disciple!"

"You killed so many people from my Emperor's Ship, how dare you show your face here today?"

Xie Daoqing walked up to her step by step, reached out and smoothed her furrowed brows, and said, "I'll take you back. I know you hate me, you can kill me if you want, but you can't marry Xiao Junqi. You shouldn't risk your life. Do you know that to activate the Emperor's Sword, you need to inject your own blood into the sword?"

Gu Youan turned his head and said, "I won't kill you. The situation was complicated that day. I don't know the circumstances under which you two clashed, but they were my fellow disciples. The flames were raging that day, and you were very well prepared. Your purpose was to kill them. How ruthless you are!"

Her tears fell drop by drop, like beads from a broken string. The beauty wept, and Xie Daoqing took out a handkerchief. She turned her head and said, "I don't need you to worry about my future. Dozens of my Emperor's Gang members lost their lives outside the pine and bamboo forest. So many lives are between us. How can you appear in front of me today without any regard for the consequences?"

“You’an, today is not the time to argue. You want to get out of your current predicament through marriage, but little do you know that you will jump into another predicament. Come back with me.”

Gu Youan was furious. She looked angrily into Xie Daoqing's eyes and said, "You think I'm trying to get rid of you through this marriage? You think too highly of yourself. Xie Daoqing, you shouldn't be here."

Xie Daoqing and Ye Qingchen are the male protagonists of this book. Gu Youan cannot kill him, and Xie Daoqing cannot die. He killed so many people from the Emperor's Ship, and the people of the Emperor's Ship will not let him go.

She paused and said, "Go back. The people from the Emperor's Ship won't let you go. Go back."

"I will never forgive you, and I never want to see you again." Xie Daoqing liked her, but only because she stayed by his side during his difficult times. In the end, this companionship turned into flames that devoured everyone on the Emperor's Ship.

Xie Daoqing touched his legs, paused for a moment, and said, "I know you resent me, but you can't jeopardize your future. The Emperor's Sword is not an ordinary sword; it will bring disaster and desire, and you will be devoured."

Gu Youan looked down at him and smiled, "So what if I'm devoured? You're preventing me from finding my memories. Sheng Jingche won't protect me. If I can activate the Emperor's Sword, I will use its power to become a true powerhouse, the most powerful one."

Gu Youan's eyes flickered, and she looked down at Xie Daoqing and said, "How did you know I was coming to find the Emperor's Sword?"

Xie Daoqing sighed and said, "Emperor Huaming is no ordinary person. You can't defeat him. Xiao Junqi is no ordinary prince either. Take my advice and leave Sheng Kingdom."

Gu Youan turned around and said, "Don't try to persuade me. I have my own plans. I won't go back."

Xie Daoqing's eyes were slightly red as he said, "The day you returned to the Emperor's Ship, I received news that you were imprisoned there. I was worried about you, You'an. I know you have many questions, but you must believe that I will not hurt you. They ambushed me at the Emperor's Ship, setting up an ambush in the pine and bamboo forest. That day, it was either them or me who died."

Xie Daoqing spoke with a voice filled with anguish, and Gu Youan listened calmly, her heart bleeding. Her former friend had died outside the pine and bamboo forest, and she had lost all memory of that day.

She suddenly turned to look at Xie Daoqing and said, "If I forget everything, will you continue to hide it from me?"

Xie Daoqing lowered her head, and Gu Youan chuckled softly, whether mocking her ignorance or something else, she lowered her head slightly and said, "I've lost my memory, and you want me to be your canary, but there are no canaries in this world!"

“I will become the one in power, even if it costs me everything.” She turned her back and brushed the hair behind her neck, saying, “Thanks to you, I have become the sole ruler of the Emperor.”

Xie Daoqing stared in shock at the mark on the back of her neck, his heart filled with horror. He smiled coldly and said, "Your Emperor's ambition has never disappeared. You entered the Emperor's from childhood and have always been a pawn of the Emperor's. This mark on you means that you must sacrifice yourself for the Emperor's. Gu Youan, if nothing unexpected happens, you will be my wife."

Gu Youan was stunned. The original owner was Xie Daoqing's fiancée, but when Ye Qingchen appeared, when the original owner fell in love, and when she was abandoned by the Gu family, Xie Daoqing did not stand up for her.

The original owner had taken care of Xie Daoqing for many years. Ye Qingchen intended to seduce her. The young girl was in love, and no one was there to help her. He was thus drawn into the vortex of power and eventually became a victim.

"Xie Daoqing, if I hadn't entered the Emperor's Ship and mastered all these skills, you wouldn't have fallen in love with me and become dependent on me. If I were just an ordinary person, you wouldn't love me!"

Xie Daoqing shook his head. He reached out to pull her, but Gu Youan flicked her sleeve and said, "You killed them! I will never forgive you, but I will not kill you either. If it weren't for the accident, you wouldn't need a wheelchair."

In the original book, Xie Daoqing's legs were crippled. He didn't like Gu Youan and wasn't enthusiastic about this fiancée who was forced upon him. Moreover, Gu Youan in the original book was a model of a noblewoman, and her every word and action was advised. But Gu Youan was not advised; her personality had a wild side.

Gu Youan turned her head, her eyes slightly red. Even after many years, she was still heartbroken when she heard the news of her fellow disciple's death.

"Even if they all joined forces, they were no match for you, Xie Daoqing. You are so strong that it frightens me."

Xie Daoqing looked at her with red eyes, reached out and took her hand, and said, "I'm sorry, I can stay away from you, but I don't want you to get hurt."

Gu Youan sobbed softly, "Go back. I don't want to see you. I'm afraid I'll kill you."

She couldn't face the fact that Xie Daoqing had killed her fellow disciple, nor could she kill him with her own hands.

Gu Youan turned to look into his eyes and said, "When I regained my memories, I desperately wanted to know what exactly happened back then, but when I saw you, Zhou, I realized that I couldn't kill you, nor could I forgive you. Go back, I will never return to Dayong."

The Emperor's Sword is in the Sheng Kingdom. As long as she can return, she is willing to activate the Emperor's Sword.

Xie Daoqing sighed and said, "I will not leave here. If you want to activate the Emperor's Sword, use my blood."

Gu Youan was stunned for a moment. He lifted his hair, revealing a mark on the back of his neck that was the same as Gu Youan's. Gu Youan paused, then reached out to touch it. It had the same feel, and it was hot to the touch.

What's going on?

Xie Daoqing straightened his clothes and looked into Gu Youan's bright eyes, saying, "Only I have the opportunity to unlock the Emperor's Sword for you. If you want it, everyone in the Xie family will obey your orders. If you want to become emperor, I am willing to bow down and submit."

Gu Youan chuckled and asked, "Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

Both in the original book and in his interactions with Xie Daoqing, he is portrayed as a ruthless person.

"I don't believe you, Xie Daoqing. I don't believe you. I only believe in myself."

Gu Youan didn't know why Xie Daoqing had this pattern. She just looked at him indifferently, as if she were looking at a stranger.

"No matter what you say, I won't believe it." She never wants to experience that feeling of being choked again in her life.

Xie Daoqing took a few steps closer to her and said, "Don't risk yourself for something unimportant. Xiao Junqi is not a good husband. He and Sheng Jingche are too deeply involved. They both asked you to have their children. Once you have a child, your relationship will be deeply intertwined. By then, it will be too late for you to regret it."

Gu Youan turned around and said, "Go back, I don't want to see you."

Xie Daoqing looked at her lonely figure and said, "I will stay in Sheng Kingdom with you. Don't use your own blood to activate the Emperor's Sword, or you will die."

"I understand!" Gu Youan replied calmly.

Ye Qingchen emerged from the shadows, and Gu Youan composed herself, asking, "What did you discover?"

Ye Qingchen said in a deep voice, "This person's skill is unfathomable; I cannot sense her internal energy."

Her martial arts skills have reached the Grandmaster level. Could it be that Xie Daoqing's internal strength is even higher than hers? If Xie Daoqing was hiding his strength, then there would be a reason why the Emperor's ship was destroyed in the Battle of Pine and Bamboo Forest that year. So why would Xie Daoqing hide his strength?

Her eyes were deep and her gaze was captivating as she said, "I will observe his movements and uncover the whole truth!"

"Is Miss scared?"

There is no black and white in this world. When she asked to see Xie Daoqing, Xie Daoqing appeared in Sheng Kingdom. What a coincidence! Since Emperor Huaming could make a deal with her, he could also make a deal with Xie Daoqing. She couldn't just sit and wait to die.

"Now that he has come to Sheng Kingdom, the influence of Dayong has already infiltrated Sheng Kingdom. You and I must be vigilant and be prepared for anything that happens."

Ye Qingchen paused for a moment and said, "Is Miss worried that Young Master Xie's plan will affect our search for the Emperor's Sword?"

Gu Youan said, "Since he can appear here tonight, he can bewitch Xiao Junqi."

Ye Qingchen hesitated and said, "Then..."

"You lie in wait by his side, watch his movements, and don't alert him."

"yes!"

What Xie Daoqing said is unimportant. Since he could kill the people of the Emperor's Ship, he wouldn't care about her anymore. What is she complaining about now? It's crocodile tears and she doesn't deserve any sympathy.